The Gengleman and the Rogue
by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
M/M Historical Romance
5 Stars
Review Copy supplied by author.
Amazon
Blurb:
Lad from the streets meets lord of the manor. Both men's lives will be changed forever.
When Sir Alan Watleigh goes searching for sex, he never imagines the street rat he brings home for one last bit of pleasure in his darkest hour will be the man who hauls him back from the edge of the grave. Despite his harsh life in the slums of London, Jem is a bright, cheerful young man. He's also witty, irreverent, glib, and makes Alan laugh--a rare occasion since war time trauma and the death of his family have made the man a ghost of his former self.
A single night of meaningless sex turns into an offer of permanent employment. Jem acts as Alan's valet, but offers him so much more than polished boots and starched cravats. Just as the men are adjusting to their new living arrangement, news about a former soldier under his command sends Sir Watleigh and Jem on the road to save a child in danger.
The journey brings them closer together as they travel from lust toward love. They rescue the girl from the clutches of an insane surgeon, who is as interested in experimenting on the vulnerable human spirit as he is on physical bodies. Alan realizes his love for Jem when he nearly loses him, but is Alan's love strong enough to risk society discovering the truth about him? And is he strong enough to finally accept his sexual nature?
Review:
I adored this book, I could hardly read it fast enough, but then I wanted to eke out the last few pages so it wouldn't finish too soon, so engrossed was I in Sir Alan's and Jem's tale.
Jem is a male prostitute, hired by Sir Alan for one night, one night of pleasure before he leaves this world for good. Only things don't quite turn out that way. Alan decides against suicide and to his amazement, he offers Jem a place as his valet to get him off the streets for good.
Despite the first intimate scene being between Alan and Jem, a street whore, I am going to call it a love scene rather than a sex scene, because it was so emotionally fraught for both of them. When Jem began by kissing Alan's battle scars so tenderly, I was almost in tears.
Despite being a sometime thief, liar and whore, Jem is still a good character; he's the light to Alan's darkness, his remembered horrors of the war. Both are damaged characters, but both find new purpose with each other.
The story is so well-written and the characters speak as if they are in Regency times, not in the modern world. You won't get any 21st century slang in here. The history just blends in with the story, the reader isn't lecutured on the past.
Jem and Alan are delightful, their love scenes hot and sensual and again, flow within the story. There's a villain you'll love to hate but any more than that I won't say in case I spoil it.
It was just a wonderful read all round.
Reviewed by Annette Gisby
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